BACKGROUND: Healthcare personnel may be faced with different degrees of violence and aggression, particularly concerning preclinical care. However, systematic data with respect to the frequency and type of violence in emergency medicine in Germany has not been researched.
METHODS AND OBJECTIVES: At an anesthesiology congress, an anonymous survey was distributed about the different kinds and extent of violent acts that the participants had experienced during their work in emergency medicine. Moreover, the participants' subjective feelings toward professional and personal safety when handling emergency cases were explored.
RESULTS: Every fourth participant in the survey (25.2 %) had experienced occupational physical violence within the last 12 months. Verbal harassment or insults within the last twelve months were reported by 58.2 % of the participants. While 80 % of the participants feel "entirely" or "mostly" safe with regard to the professional aspect of their occupation, personal safety was considered "entirely" in only 9.3 % and "mostly" in 46.4 % of the cases. Nearly every third participant (31.8 %) feels only "partially" safe and every eighth participant feels "rather not" or "not at all" safe during emergency medicine missions. Men appreciate their expertise as well as their personal safety more so than women (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: Aggression and violence towards healthcare personnel in emergency medicine occur on a regular basis in the German healthcare system. Little research has been conducted in this area, so the issue has not yet been perceived as a relevant problem. Appropriate training for healthcare personnel in emergency medicine should be targeted at developing the skills needed when encountered with aggression and occupational violence.